Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

A PET/CT scanner is a large doughnut-shaped machine with a sliding table in the middle for the patient to lie on for their pictures.

To begin, a radiopharmaceutical (medicine that contains a small amount of radioactive material) is given to the patient through a very tiny tube called an IV. This helps doctors see three-dimensional pictures of how the organs and tissues inside the body are functioning. It can also show the difference between normal and abnormal cells and tissue.